Mathematics Professional Development Across the nation :: Around the world System Support District Support School Support All students can learn to work like a mathematician in happy healthy, cheerful, productive, inspiring classrooms.

This page is a summary of our site, services and resources.

Sections

Costs of all services and resources can be found in our Price List.

Curriculum Vision

A curriculum which balances: modelling how to work like a mathematician - Working Mathematically inviting students to apply the model for themselves developing a toolbox of mathematical skills

The starting point for a professional mathematician is an:

interesting, meaningful, worthwhile problem

• Our stories are collected and retold through three projects:
  Mathematics Task Centre Project ... Calculating Changes ... Maths300.
• Each project has its own focus but operates as a companion to the others.
• The practical, hands-on nature of each is intended to encourage debate about best teaching practice.
• Teachers are invited to enter deeper into the debate by trying ideas and resources in their classroom.
• Services and resources are designed to integrate with all official curriculum documents.
• Our inclusive teaching practices and resources have brought particular success to Indigenous students in a broad range of circumstances.

Mathematics Task Centre Project

• Established 1992 by Curriculum Corporation.
• Built on the experiences of the Task Centre Network from 1976.
• Source of over 230 hands-on problem solving tasks for Years 2-10.
• Classroom wisdom related to using tasks in structured, integrated ways.
• Each task is an invitation to work like a mathematician.
• Many tasks have been adapted for infant or senior years.

Calculating Changes

• Established 1998.
• Built on the work of projects such as the Calculator Aware Number (CAN) Project (UK 1985-89) and abundant research on using concrete materials.
• By engineering 'aha' moments in number the project aims to enhance children's number sense beyond what is normally expected for their age.
• Concept and skill development in a problem solving context to strengthen the toolbox of mathematicians in Years K-6.

Maths300

• Established 2000 as a partnership with Curriculum Corporation.
• Built on the work of the Mathematics Curriculum & Teaching Program (MCTP) and a range of other initiatives.
• Whole class investigations as lesson plans which model the work of a mathematician.
• Each lesson presented in the context of best teaching practice.
• Strong emphasis on multiple intelligences, constructivism, higher order thinking, literacy.
• Around 150 lessons, working towards 300, for teachers in Years K-12.
• About one half of the lessons are built on the content depth of hands-on tasks.
• About one third of the lessons are supported by purpose-built software.

• Support for all levels of education - System, District, Cluster, School, Pre-Service Education - anywhere in the world.
• A multitude of options categorised in two sections: Off-the-shelf or Tailored programs.
• We specialise in Discussion Lessons - we take the class, teachers observe learning features, we discuss, teachers are challenged to teach the same lesson to a different group.
• Our recommended model for lasting curriculum shift is focussed courses with the same teacher group, structured over time and requiring classroom-based experimentation, reflection, evaluation and on-going challenge.
• For an overview of options visit these links:
  • Slide Show
  • Text

Off-the-shelf Programs

• A library of tried and proven one day workshops.
• Programs can be presented individually or as a linked collection.
• Designed to service remote as well as central locations.
• Resources for each program are drawn from the projects above.
• Each session provides time to explore, research and plan.
• Teachers are invited to take their resource and re-enact its story in their classroom.
• Programs can be delivered by MOTM leaders or by professional officers from a system who have been prepared and resourced by MOTM.
• Maths on the Move programs have been the basis of partnerships with schools, clusters, professional associations and systems.

• Only available with the purchase of 100 tasks.
• Discounted consultant's fee.
• Designed to support the integration of the tasks into the curriculum.
• Can be adapted to a cluster of schools with a similar purpose.
• Can be delivered by TC leaders or by professional officers from a system who have been prepared and resourced by the Task Centre Project.

• Only available with the purchase of the WM Curriculum Pack.
• Discounted consultant's fee and Maths300 membership.
• Designed to inspire and prepare staff to implement a fully resourced, integrated Working Mathematically curriculum.
• Based on Maths With Attitude kits and additional resources.
• Can be adapted to a cluster of schools with a similar purpose.
• Can be delivered by TC leaders or by professional officers from a system who have been prepared and resourced by the Task Centre Project.

• One and a half days, including at least half a day of Discussion Lessons, to establish the principles and practice of Calculating Changes.
• Calculating Changes supports the development of a firmly founded, creative number sense through Infant years, then develops into a rich resource of ideas, activities and approaches for all primary teachers.
• Poly Plug and calculators essential - TI 7 MathMate calculator preferred.
• A Self-Directed Leadership option is offered to systems to prepare school-based leaders.

• 1½ - 2 hour courses to highlight the main principles of each of the projects.
• Variations for primary and secondary audiences.

Tailored Programs

• You identify your needs.
• We draw on our stories, experience and resources in discussion with you about addressing your needs.
• We tailor a program together.

Research Evidence

Formal Research

• We have research which shows that long term courses focussing on the Working Mathematically approach to curriculum simultaneously improve problem solving ability, mathematical skills and literacy. See the INISSS research at the link above.
• We have research which shows that the achievement gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous secondary students can be closed. See the INISSS research at the link above.
• We have research which shows that secondary students from disadvantaged areas can do better at system level tests and Year 12 examinations. See Cressy District High School and Marsden State High School.
• We have research which shows that parents can become integrally engaged in the mathematics learning of gifted and talented Year 7 students through a home lending program based around tasks, and that this involvement has a high impact in terms of changing teaching and learning styles. See Thorne Grammar School.
• We have research which shows that a high percentage of teachers involved in 5-10 courses with considerable input from Calculating Changes report significant changes in their teaching style and report noticing unexpected developments in their children's number sense. See Calculating Changes evaluation.

Teacher Stories

• This research evidence is also supported by teacher stories at the above links.
• Further, a group of teachers involved in Working Mathematically professional development for up to 4 years offers reasons why tasks work.

Resources

• Maths300
• Tasks
• Poly Plug

• We have experience in constructing special kits to resource system-based initiatives.
• Alternative assessment practices are built into all our materials.

Maths300

• Membership can be purchased separately from: http://www.curriculum.edu.au/maths300/details.htm
• Bulk registration of 100 or more schools can attract special pricing arrangements.
• Licence is for any number of computers on the one physical campus, with additional rights for teachers to access from home.
• Provision can be made, at no extra cost, to support student laptop use.
• New lessons are added regularly.
• Lessons are constantly upgraded with new insights from classrooms.
• Considerable planning support, including sample units, is offered in the Curriculum Planning link on the Members' Page.
• Membership is richer when used in conjunction with tasks. Maths300 supports modelling the work of a mathematician. Tasks offer an invitation to apply the model.
• Several packages are available to integrate the use of tasks and Maths300. See below.

Tasks

A task is a problem written out on a card and packed with the materials students can use to explore the problem. Each task is a visual and concrete problem-solving context. Key principles in selecting problems to become tasks are: a task is the tip of an iceberg a task has three lives: for pairs of students, a whole class or guided by an Investigation Sheet. a task can be used to illustrate the process of Working Mathematically We have a collection of over 230 tasks involving content from all curriculum strands and appropriate to all year levels from 2-10. Ordering is as simple as stating the number of tasks required and the year levels at which they will be used.

Task Kits

• Four kits at each pair of Year Levels: Years 3/4, Years 5/6, Years 7/8, Years 9/10
• 16 kits which work together to support a Working Mathematically curriculum alternative across primary and secondary schools.
• Excellent for resourcing cluster-wide curriculum shift.
• Each kit contains 20 tasks, a CD-ROM of lessons extracted from Maths300 and a manual with a week by week planner integrating its use through the two year levels of the kit.
• The 4 kits at each level are in the strands Chance & Measurement, Number & Computation, Pattern & Algebra, Space & Logic.
• The set of 4 kits at each level provides 25 weeks of curriculum integrating hands-on problem solving, whole class investigations, skill development in context and software support.
• Encourages an additional 15 weeks of teacher and faculty 'personal best' curriculum.
• Self-directed professional development is supported by the manual and the lesson plans.
• Additional professional development is available. Some schools select the Working Mathematically Curriculum Pack (above) to obtain professional development and MWA kits as a discounted package.
• Maths300 membership essential as a licence to use the CD-ROM.
• Convenient, compact and complete.

• An 'all round' introduction to the concept of a Working Mathematically Curriculum.
• Includes sample material for all year levels which is drawn from all content areas.
• Focuses on the first 50 Maths300 lessons and the tasks from which 31 of them are derived.
• Includes 31 tasks, a CD-ROM of the first 50 Maths300 lessons and membership of Maths300 for the first year.
• Does not include any planning support beyond the lesson collection and the Curriculum Planning link on Maths300.
• Tasks and Maths300 membership are discounted. CD-ROM is at cost.

• 50 tasks based on examples from the 'mainstream' kit and developed by teachers working with Indigenous students in both remote and urban areas.
• Has also been successfully used with Native American students.
• Special A4 presentation designed by teachers in conjunction with students and an Aboriginal artist.
• Tells the story of the Task Centre logo.
• Supported by an extensive teachers' manual.
• Can be enhanced further by adding Maths300 membership.

• Designed to encourage maths around the kitchen table.
• One kit for primary and one for secondary.
• 20 tasks in each kit and each task has an additional 'hint' card for parents.
• Solution and discussion of each problem available from the web.
• Also supported by an eBuddy network.
• Used by some schools in a Home/School Lending structure to encourage 3 way communication and journal writing about problem solving between the teacher, student and parents.

• Two different models for integrating the use of tasks and whole class lessons.
• A Mixed Media Unit is built around 10 tasks, software and Investigation Sheets (or textbook) in a work station arrangement.
• Points of View is available as an example. This unit focuses on 2D representation of 3D objects.
• A Replacement Unit is built around a menu of 20 tasks with companion Investigation Sheets.
• Chance & Data Replacement Unit is available as an example.

Poly Plug

• Poly Plug is a set of 2 soft foam boards each with 5 rows of 5 removable plugs.
• One board is a sandwich of blue and yellow and the other board is red.
• The yellow/blue board is double the thickness of the red board.
• Each board is 17.5 cm square.
• Each Poly Plug set is supplied with a tough press-seal plastic bag.
• Highly recommended by teachers as 'classroom friendly'.
• Poly Plug can be used to establish and solve an enormous number of mathematical problems suitable for all year levels.
• A set of Poly Plug can be used to convert dozens of different tasks into whole class investigations.
• A free web site details all these ideas and encourages teachers to contribute more.

Infant Resources

• Begin with the Free Tour section of Calculating Changes.
• Consider the Calculating Changes Sample Pack which includes 10 Poly Plug, 10 MathMate calculators, a manual and six months free membership of the Calculating Changes site.
• Consider the specific K-2 lessons which come with school membership of Maths300.
• Choose from the set of 48 hands-on tasks which other Infant teachers have told us they have successfully adapted. See link above.

Support Resources

• Enough shapes for a whole class investigation of the Sphinx task.
• The one task offers significant learning for all year levels from K-12 and is used as an example of the depth of all the tasks.
• This problem is the source of the story of the Task Centre Project logo.
• The Iceberg Information about this task is collected at its own web site.

• Trisquares offer possibilities similar to Sphinx using a square as the core unit, rather than an equilateral triangle: Shape discrimination and other spatial experiences, perimeter, area, problem solving, square numbers, algebra.
• Enough shapes for a whole class investigation guided by Tasks 237, Trisquares, and Task 238, Growing Trisquares.

• Material for a whole class investigation involving perimeter, surface area, volume, 2D representation of 3D objects, linear, quadratic and cubic relationships.
• Everything done with Sphinx in two dimensions can be recreated and extended in three dimensions.

• A challenging three dimensional puzzle for any age.
• Class set of puzzles particularly useful in middle and senior secondary school to develop spatial perception, explore a wealth of pattern and algebra relationships, investigate the history of mathematics and understand proof by induction.
• Focus of Lesson 138 on Maths300. Details also available in Iceberg Information.

• Two types of foam triangles obtained by cutting a regular pentagon.
• Content related to geometry and visual pattern, number patterns, Square Numbers, Fibonacci Numbers and the Golden Ratio.
• Focus of Lesson 134 on Maths300.

• Linking 2D shapes - squares, triangles, pentagons and hexagons - which fold up into three dimensions.
• Source of an immense amount of 2D and 3D spatial problem solving and pattern work.
• Focus of Lesson 116 on Maths300.

And there's more... please explore.

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